Jyoti would have been 27-year-old today, probably a doctor, who would have lifted her family out of poverty. The firstborn in his generation, Max would have been 23 this year, supporting his disabled father and uneducated mother. They were among the victims of the Nithari incident, killed at the ages of 10 and 5, respectively.
While the families could not even say a final goodbye to these kids, their belongings helped in their identification. As the Allahabad High Court on Monday set aside the death sentences awarded to Surendra Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher, the prime accused in the Nithari killings, the families hope that “now God will give them justice".
‘JYOTI WAS THE SMARTEST IN OUR FAMILY, WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR’
Just opposite the crime site – D-5 in Sector 31, Noida – 63-year-old Jhabbu Lal and his wife Sunita Devi had a small set up where they ironed clothes for a living for 25 years. They had six children, until they lost their 10- year-old daughter, Jyoti.
The date was April 27, 2006. Jyoti was home as the school had its summer break. The couple asked Jyoti to go to a nearby tailor shop for some chore. She should have been back in 15-20 minutes, but they never saw her again.
“The shop was just five minutes away. When it took more than 30 minutes, we immediately started looking for her. By that time, a number of people had gone missing. We knew that we had to act quickly. In the next 8-10 hours, all my relatives were here, but we never saw her again. We even checked all brothels in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, thinking that someone must have trafficked her," Lal said, talking to News18.
The search ended only when they found her belongings in the bungalow. He said they knew Pandher and used to iron his clothes.
“I always considered him a nice man. He was decent. He knew she was my daughter. Even after that he killed her. We never saw her again. It was after seven months that the bodies were dug out. We identified her clothes, slippers and earnings. There were at least 96 bodies, I counted myself, but the case was registered for only 17," he said.
Speaking about Pandher, 60-year-old Sunita Devi said that she spotted blood on his clothes a number of times. “It was mostly on his sleeves. When we used to inquire from the servant, he used to say it was chicken’s. We never had any suspicion because we were getting our money on time and never felt that he could do such a thing with us," she told News18.
With teary eyes, she recalled her “brightest and smartest" child. “She was good at studies. At that time, she was in class 5. She used to tell me that she wanted to be a doctor. We even had plans to invest in her education. But this devil took her away," she said.
The couple said that they have lost all their hopes. “He had money and power, so he was released. We are poor and have no support. Do you think at this age we have the energy to run for justice? Also, if he is not the real culprit, then who is? Either the judge is wrong or the one who held him guilty was wrong. If these kids were from rich and influential families, do you think it would have taken so long to hang them," they asked.
The couple went on to say: “If the government and the courts are helpless before a criminal, then only God can do justice."
Just two families – Jyoti and Max’s – were local and still working and living in the Nithari village. Rest of the victims were from other states and have relocated over the years.
‘MAX WAS SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT HIS DISABLED FATHER’
Max was the first child after eight years of Rajwati and Ashok’s marriage. He was hardly two years old when his father, Ashok, met with an accident and lost his one leg.
“We were slowly moving on from that accident. I had given birth to a daughter who was just 15-day-old when Max insisted that he wanted to see his grandmother. His father dropped him to her house, a few metres away from ours," Rajwati told News18 recalling the ill-fated day.
While at his grandmother’s house, Max insisted he wanted to have juice. The juice shop was visible from the grandmother’s entry gate and Max was allowed to go alone.
“She saw him holding the glass of juice and got busy with some work, thinking that he will be back soon. But when she checked again after a few minutes, he was nowhere," 40-year-old Rajwati recalled.
They never saw him again and it was through his clothes found in the bungalow backyard that he was identified.
The couple runs a footwear-cum-cosmetic shop in the village, just behind the D5 bungalow, for living. They have three children now, with the youngest studying in class 5.
“He would have turned 23 this year. He was our hope. I am uneducated and his father is disabled. We run this shop for a living. Max was supposed to uplift our lives. The fear of losing him is so deep that even today no one in the family is allowed to step out alone," she said as she broke down.
When asked about the latest verdict, she said that she will ask the court to give her back her son. “If they are not guilty, that means there were no murders. I request the court to give me my son…" she said.
Rajwati echoed the sentiments of Sunita Devi and said that only the victims’ kin can understand the pain.
“If Max were to be from a rich family, do you think the same treatment would have been meted out towards us? I am uneducated and do not understand these things. All I know is that my son was killed brutally. He did not think before killing so many children. Why should he be allowed to walk freely? Can you really believe that humans can be buried in a house without the involvement of the owner," she asked in anger.
‘HOW CAN WE BE SURE THIS WON’T BE REPEATED?’
While Pandher is expected to walk free, his lawyer said, Koli will remain in prison as he is serving a life sentence in another case related to the Nithari killings.
News18 also visited the infamous kothi number D5, the abandoned bungalow of Pandher. It was covered in bushes, walls with vines and vegetation spilling over. On Tuesday morning, two police personnel were deputed at the site to take stock of the situation.
A number of people were gathered near the house. Talks were on that after the release Pandher may come back to live here, an idea strongly opposed by all.
“How can we live in peace if he starts living here again? Who will take responsibility that these things will not be repeated and our kids will be safe," asked 57-year-old Anju.
An otherwise peaceful Nithari village seems to stand together in anger against the idea of Pandher living in that house again.
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